The seizure of hostages in Southern Russia has reportedly been financed by the Chechnya-based cell of al-Qaeda terrorist network.

According to Federal Special Services' reports, one of the most zealous "jihad" ideologists Abu Mora as-Seif, an al-Qaeda follower, has financed the terrorists who held hostage hundreds of men, women and children in the town of Beslan.

Ten of the gunmen killed in Friday's end of hostage standoff were recognized as "Arab mercinaries", including one black man, Russian presidential advisor Aslanbek Aslakhanov announced.

The group of militants consisted of 28 people, including four "black widows". Thirteen of them have reportedly escaped the siege scene heading toward the Chechen border and pursued by Russian forces.

Russian FSB said that the hostage-takers' chief is supposed to be Magas, the nickname of Magomed Evloev, close follower to breakaway Chechen commander Shamil Basayev.

He is known to Russian services as one of training heads for suicidal "black widows" and hostage-takers prepared for raids in North Caucasus and Russia. Some reports link these suicidal militants with al-Qaeda, supposed to train them for terror acts.

Investigation reports about Evloev show him involved in the June 22 attack in Ingushetia. It was the initial demand from the hostage-takers in Beslan to free the Chechen rebels arrested in relation to the Ingush events.

Evloev was earlier among the closest people of breakaway republic of Ichkeria Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, who reportedly introduced him to Shamil Basayev.

Evloev is suspected to have taken part in a number of terrorist acts in Dagestan in the summer of 1999.

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